Confessions by Debbie wembly@valint.net Wildwing walked tiredly into his personal quarters. It had been a typically long day, stopping Dragaunus from controlling the Anaheim Power Plant, then having a hockey game. It may be typical, but it was still tiring. His room was his only escape, the only place where he could be alone. He took his Mask off and set it down gently on the night stand. He rubbed his face and sat down on the bed, the silence of the room penetrating his nerves. The quiet times were few and far between, and were almost becoming unnerving. Mostly because it gave him time to think, and he had a lot on his mind he never shared with any of the team members. It wasn't easy being the leader; he was constantly under the fear of giving the wrong command. What if something he said resulted in someone getting hurt - or even worse - dying? You can take anything Dragaunus can throw at you... Canard's words suddenly filtered through his mind, triggering even more doubts. Why had Canard chosen him? Was it because he was right there, holding him as he was getting pulled away? What if it had been Duke? Would he have said the same thing? That kid brother of yours, he-... Nosedive had come along because of his decision. He knew Canard didn't think much of him, but he was his kid brother! And now he seemed so... withdrawn, out of place. Had he felt obligated to follow his brother? If he had wanted to stay behind, wouldn't he have said something? He was so young... he wanted Dive to be with him. Sure they were brothers, but it went so much farther than that. It almost seemed to him that the Mask was coming between them... like they drifted apart a little or something... 'Does he realize how much I love him?' Wing thought, the hollow eyes of the Mask staring at him. 'If something ever happened to him, I'd never forgive myself. Would he have felt more comfortable home, at Puckworld?' His brother was unique, one of a kind, and yet he could almost see a bit of Canard in him every now and then. When it came down to being serious, Nosedive could pretty much do anything he set his mind to. He was an amazing offense player, not to mention he was supportive of Wing. He put all of his trust in him, no matter what he felt. 'I miss the old times, when the Mask was a legend, my only concern getting Dive awake in time for school, and my only mission in life was to be the best goalie next to Drake DuCaine's legend,' Wing thought, taking his gear off and changing into normal clothes. How he missed his mother's soothing words and his father's proud hand on his shoulder. 'If only they knew... If only I had known...' Wildwing realized how depressed he was making himself and shook his head, as if to scatter his thoughts. Nosedive was getting better with Duke's training, so what was he worried about? Losing his little brother without letting him know how he felt, that's what. They used to talk all the time, and it was now as seldom as his quiet times alone, if not less. Did Dive need Duke to cling to because Wing was too tied up with being the leader? Did Dive realize the fear that raced through his brother, faster than any race horse, each time he got hurt? "I think it's time I got this settled, instead of having Duke talk to him," Wildwing said aloud to himself, running a hand through his short hair. "I just hope he'll listen." That's my bro... Dive's encouraging words came to his mind as he grabbed his com. He patched it in to Nosedive's, and soon saw his younger brother's face appear. "Wingster, what's up?" Dive asked, cheerful as usual. But was he always as cheerful as he acted? "Um, Dive, are you busy?" Wing asked, trying to act non- chalant. He hoped it was working. By Dive's reaction, he decided it wasn't. "No, just sittin' around for once, watchin' the tube. You feelin' all right, bro?" "Yeah, I'm just... can we talk? I mean like, here or there?" "Wildwing, you're scaring your brother... just stay there, okay? I'll be there in a minute." Wing nodded and flipped his com off. He sat waiting for Dive, thinking of tons of ways he could get his point across to his younger brother. Unfortunately, when he arrived, every line flew right out the window. "So, uh, what's up?" Dive asked again, folding his arms across his chest and shifting his weight to one leg. "What'd I do this time? If this is about the mess in Tanya's lab, I didn't do it." "Oh, Dive, you didn't 'do' anything. It's just, well, I have stuff I need to tell you," Wildwing sighed, standing up and putting a hand on Dive's shoulder. He looked down painfully, as if to read what he needed to say off the floor. "Wildwing..." the young blonde trailed, concern coating his voice. "I am so sorry, little bro..." Wing said, looking up at Nosedive. His eyes were beginning to glass over, and he fought to keep his tears back. "You never had to come here to Earth. I shouldn't have volunteered you without asking first." Nosedive's eyes widened at the sight of his brother on the edge of tears. Thoughts racing through his mind, he blurted out, "Did Duke tell you-" "No," he interrupted. "I can see it in your eyes, Dive. Or at least in the way you act. When you agreed, you didn't know you'd be torn away from your friends. I have to know- did you come only because I asked you? Because you felt you couldn't say no?" Nosedive's face was very sober as he examined Wing's. "I won't lie to you, Wing. I have regretted it. But yes, I did want to come. You never made me. I regretted it because I felt like such a burden. I didn't have any special skills, and the team could get along without me. I felt like I would have done more good going into limbo so you wouldn't have so much pressure. If Canard was here, you two could have defeated Dragaunus in a day!" "Nosedive, if I had known you felt like that... I had no idea my doubting myself was hurting you so bad... I couldn't do this without your support," Wing said, a tear escaping from the dam he had built, running away down his face. "How do I support you?" Dive asked, looking away. If he kept looking at Wing, he'd cry too... "You're always there, Dive. Your little remarks or just other things like, 'Way to go!' You've been more than a brother than I have. I just boss you around," Wing said, noticing his brother's eyes welling up with tears also. "No...no... I look up to you, Wing. I always have, even when Drake DuCaine was my hero. Somehow I saw him in you, standing there in front of the net. I wish I had half the courage, wits. You always know what to do," Dive admitted, wiping a few tears away. He felt like a small child again, confessing he had stolen a cookie. "My older brother, the next Drake DuCaine... and now it's coming true." "Little brother..." Wing trailed, his heart aching. He took him in a hug, and felt him let out a sob as he accepted and wrapped his own arms around his older brother. "I love you, baby bro. If anything ever happened to you..." "Happened to me? Man if something happened to you, I wouldn't last five seconds on this team! You're the only reason Mallory hasn't killed me!" Dive joked after a moment, laughing through his tears. "You're my big bro, I have to love you back. It's kinda a package deal." Wing laughed and wiped his tears away. "I'm sorry, Dive. I just had to know. Some big brave leader, huh?" "Aw, it's all right," Dive said, shrugging. "Even the best have their moments. Even Dad cried the time we broke his autographed hockey stick." "Yeah, and he blamed me," Wing said smiling at the memory. "It was your fault," Dive reassured. "It was not! You were the one using it!" "Sure, but I didn't know it was Dad's. You gave it to me." "Well... remember how far that puck sailed, though? That was an awesome hit, baby bro. If only you had kept the broken stick in your hands..." "That thing flew forever! I think the break helped it. And besides, you should have seen the look on your face when Dad stormed out..." It hit Wildwing as his brother rambled about days long past, that everything was going to be okay after all. As long as he had his baby brother, nothing could hurt him... *** End ***